Microsoft Planner Generally Available

If your are an avid follower of the Office Blog you may have been have been following the progress of Microsoft Planner since last September, but if you are like many of us you just get too busy and glance over the bulk of the interesting content on the blog. There is an awful lot after all!

The addition of [Microsoft] Planner to the Office 365 lineup, according to the post, introduces a new and improved way for businesses, schools and organizations to structure teamwork easily and get more done. With Planner, teams can create new plans; organize, assign and collaborate on tasks; set due dates; update statuses and share files, while visual dashboards and email notifications keep everyone informed on progress.

Below is a screen shot of Microsoft Planner

I call this out to you for a few reasons.

First, it is now rolling out to all eligible plans and customers will start to see the icon in the Myapps portal and in the apps drop down menu called the app launcher.

Your customers may solicit your advice on using planner and this presents an opportunity. You do not want to be caught off guard. Second, assisting customers in utilizing Microsoft planner is training opportunity. It secures more SharePoint usage which is important when one thinks about the direction Microsoft is heading regarding incentives being tied to customers with active usage of a product or service. Nothing wrong with a customer using more and getting more from Office 365!

Here is a list of Office 365 offerings that now include Microsoft Planner:

Office 365 E1

Office 365 E3

Office 365 E4 (E3 with Skype Plus CAL when renewed or moved to E5)

Office 365 E5

Office 365 Business Premium

Office 365 Business Essentials

Office 365 Education subscription offerings

Rollout should be completed in the next few weeks.

The blog also highlights some case study information where Planner made a difference and there is video walk-through as well.